Take-up mechanism for knitting machines



Jan. 1,. 1929.

W. L. LENGEL TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES F-iled May 16, 1923attozn 1 .H tne cooperating Patented Jan. 1, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,697,193 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. LENGEL, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NOLDE ANDHORST COMPANY, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLeVANIA.

Application filed May- 16,

My invention relates to take-up mechanism for knitting machines andparticularly to an improved mounting and drivmg of feed rolls thereof asfully described in connection with the accompanying drawing, the novelfeatures being po1nted out in the subjoined claims.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a take-up mechanism embodying myinvention, part of the knitting machine to which it is attached beingshown in section.

Fig. 2 is a similarview to Fig. 1 of the take-up mechanism alone withthe ratchet drive wheel and pawl removed.

Fig. 3 is an opposite side view to the one shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 41 is a front vertical section on the line 4 t of Figs. 2 and 3.

' Fig. 5 is a separate view of one of the rollswinging carriers.

The take-up mechanism is carried, as usual, in a frame having dependings1de plates 2, 2, and an apertured top plate 3, secured directly to thebottom of the needle cylinder 4, as shown, or to an extensionof thelatter, in well known manner. Rotation of the feed rolls 5, 5 may beprovided for in any well-known manner, the preferred means shown andcommonly employed comprising a frame-carried ratchet wheel 6, having adetent pawl 7, and a drlvingpawl 8 mounted on a spring-retracted lever9, the latter being pivotally supported on the frame at 10 with anextension 11 for action thereon of a cam 12 at each rotation of theknitting machine. In the rotated needle cylinder type of machineindicated in the drawing, the cam 12 is secured to the machine standard13 or a fixed part of the machine; but in the type in which the needlecylinder is held and the cam cylinder rotated, cam 12 would be carriedby the lat ter, so that each rotation of the knitting machine will turnratchet wheel one or more teetl1,the latter being connected through atrain of gears as heretofore to the respective feed rolls 5, 5.

The take-up mechanism above briefly referred to, is of the typegenerally employed, and to which my improvements relate, my objects,among others, being to provide for regulating the tension exerted by thefeed rolls so as to vary the same in accordance with the quality anddelicacy of the knitted TAKE-U? MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

1923. Serial No. 639,237.

fabric; and to maintain the parallelism of 5 the yieldinglyspreadablerolls so as to avoid the distorted and biased feed heretoforefrequently occurring due to. a pocket or fold ofmaterial forciblyspreading said rolls at one end only. i

In the construction shown in the drawlngs, the feed rolls 5, 5, asusual, have axle extensions 15 and 16 at each end thereof engagingrespectively in slot-ted apertures 17 and 18 i nthe spaced side plates2, 2 so as to permit said rolls to spread apart as usual under springtension for the passage of thickened goods, and to insure that theserolls will always remain parallel no matter at what point in theirlength such spreading action is exerted, I provide them with speclalparallel spread-controlling devices 20, shown separately in Fig. 5.

These devices, as shown in the drawing, areformed of a sleeve shaft 21.with rigid radially extending end arms 22, 22, the latter forked attheir free ends to engage with axle extensions 15 and 16 of theirrespective rolls 5, 5. These sleeve shafts 21, extend it transverselybetween side plates 2, 2 and r0- tatably fit over plate-carrier driveshafts 25, 26 forming part of the drive mechanism hereinafter described,said shafts being spaced beneath their respective rolls 5, 5 in parallelrelation with the normal position of the latter. The tension springs 27,27 for said rolls 5, 5, are secured, as shown, to the opposing end arms22, 22, and an additional tension spring 28 is shown engaging arm studs29, 29 projecting through wall apertures 30, 30. This construction, asreadily understood, insures that when a spreading force is exertedbetween any part of the rolls, such movement will be carried by thenearest radial arms 22 through its sleeve 21, 21 to the opposite arms 22causing both ends of the rolls 5,5 to move in a parallel are as desired,the slotted side wall apertures 17 and 18 for axle extensions 15 and 16curving in a concentric arc from the pivot centers of sleeves 21, 21.

Each feed roll 5, 5 is driven through a gear wheel 35, 35 secured to itsaxle extension 16 adjacent the outer face of one side wall 2, said gearsbeing out of alinement, as shown, to permit closing together andspreading apart of the rolls, and each gear 35, 85 is in constant meshwith its respective gears 36, 36 carried by same to different qualitiesand textures of the knitted goods and avoid the harmful slippage of therolls upon the non-feeding fabric, I provide a friction control betweengear 42 and gear 86; shaft 26 for this purpose being formed with acentral aperture and carrying one of gears 36 fixed thereto at one endand a friction disc fixed thereto at the opposite end adjacent the outerface of its side wall 2. Gear 42 is fixed to a shaft 43 extendingthrough the central aperture of shaft 26, said shaft 43 carrying on itsfree end a threaded friction disc 46 with a locking set screw 47, andfriction washers of fiber or the like are interposed respectivelybetween discs 45 and 46 and between gears 42 and 36. By regulativelyadjusting threaded friction disc 46 a definite friction between gears 42and 36 may be had to determine the maximum feeding pull of rolls 5, 5,and when such maximum is exceeded gear 42 idly turns its shaft 43,without rotating gear 36 and the rolls remain at rest on the goodsthough still exerting a max mum feeding strain thereon.

While I have shown and described a complete and preferred embodiment ofmy takeup device giving improved and entirely satisfactory results inpractice, I do not desire to limit myself to this specific detailconstruction, as modifications within the spirit of'my invention willreadily suggest themselves.

What I claim is:

l. A take-up mechanism for knitting machines comprising cooperatingyieldably spreadable rolls having independent driving gears, a pair ofintermeshing gears respectively engaging said roll gears, a tubularshaft for one of said intermeshing gears having a friction disc at itsopposite end, a freely rotatable shaft in said tubular shaft carrying atone end a driven gear and at its opposite end an adjustable frictiondisc, and friction washers between said discs and gears.

2. A take-up mechanism for circular knitting machines comprising acarrier frame dependingly secured to the needle cylinder, a pair offixedly spaced parallel shafts mounted in said frame, loose sleeves onsaid shafts each having a pair of rigidly-spaced roll-carrying arms, apair of fabric-feed rolls spreadably carried by the respective sleevesin positively maintained parallel relation below the knitting point, andsprings arranged to normally close together said rolls.

3. A take-up mechanism for circular knitting machines comprising acarrier frame dependingly secured to the needle cylinder, a pair ofspring-retracted fabric-feed rolls spreadably carried by said framebelow the knitting point, and roll-carrier means adapted to positivelymaintain said spreadable feed-rolls in parallel relation irrespective ofvarying thickness of the passing fabric at different parts of its width.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM L. LEN GEL.

